Selfies are about to get a little more official.
Credit card company MasterCard announced on Monday that it will enable selfie verification for online transactions in the U.S., Canada, and some European countries, beginning this summer. Fingerprinting will also be an option when paying online.
MasterCard piloted the technology in the Netherlands, where it proved very popular among Dutch participants. The company's pilot program revealed that nine out of 10 Dutch people who tested out selfie and fingerprint-verification technology said that they would prefer to use those methods over text passwords, MasterCard spokesperson Jane Khodos said in a statement.
The preference for biometric technology is likely related to the perception that it's safer. Khodos said 75 percent of participants in the pilot felt that using a selfie or fingerprint instead of a password would decrease chances of fraud.
So pucker up, buttercups, because selfies are the new passwords.
